Photo By Kimberly Hackbarth | Pvt. Kyle Carver, a cavalry scout assigned to B Troop, 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – The United States Army cavalry is recognizable by its Stetsons and spurs.
While both adornments characterize the cavalry, it is the skills of the men and women behind them that really make the branch well-known.
Soldiers assigned to 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment proved they have what it takes to be a part of the cavalry and had the opportunity to earn silver spurs April 11-15 during Cav. Stakes.
“Cav. Stakes is kind of synonymous with the spur [ride],” Lt. Col. Charles Lombardo, the 2nd Sqdn., 1st Cav. Regt. commander explained. “You’ll earn your spurs much like an [Expert Infantryman Badge].”
Cavalry soldiers can earn spurs either in combat or training, Lombardo said.
The silver spurs are what soldiers earn in peace time or in a garrison environment, whereas soldiers who deploy earn gold spurs.
The testing for Cav. Stakes held the same requirements as a spur ride without having to wear Stetsons while riding around on stick ponies or be hosed down while low crawling in mud.
“Cav. Stakes encompasses the warrior task training plus an additional cavalry lane,” Lombardo said.
As the infantry soldiers of 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, prepare for Expert Infantryman Badge testing, Lombardo used the already set up lanes as an opportunity to test his soldiers.
“We have tied our Cavalry Stakes in with the EIB,” the St. Louis, Mo., native said. “Instead of us creating a second event, we wanted to establish baseline competencies to commensurate with our infantry brothers.”
Each day during the testing week, soldiers went through different lanes. Each lane brought together skills every soldier should know including how to assemble, disassemble, and clear M4 Carbines, MK19 Grenade Launchers, and M2 .50-caliber machine guns, how to perform first aid, and how to tactically move under fire.
Staff Sgt. Nicholas Mattevi, a senior scout with B Troop, understood the reasoning behind adding the EIB lanes to the cavalry event.
“A lot of our tasks are similar to infantry tasks, but there are obvious things like the [Long Range Advanced Scout Surveillance System] that we use and the infantry don’t,” Mattevi explained.
The written test based on cavalry skills and tactics was the most challenging for Mattevi, he said.
“I’m a staff sergeant, so all those tasks are implied that I know them,” the Van Wert, Ohio, native said. “I’ve done them quite a few times, so I have them down pretty well, but the test actually went through a lot of book answers.”
Everyone in the squadron has to know all the critical tasks that a Cavalry soldier has to execute especially in a Stryker brigade combat team where he will not rely on a direct-fire weapon, but more on the reporting and use of joint fires to support the brigade combat team, Lombardo said.
While testing was essential, Mattevi said the training week before testing was possibly more important for the soldiers.
“The best thing that the soldiers are getting out of it is … a lot of great classes and training to the standard,” Mattevi said. “I think that was the main purpose and focus.”
| Date Taken: | 04.15.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 04.15.2011 17:09 |
| Story ID: | 68825 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 582 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Soldiers corroborate skills during ‘Cav Stakes’, by Kimberly Hackbarth, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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